Application of Academic Knowledge and Potentials for Sustainable Staff Welfare Improvement in Nigerian Universities

Abstract

One of the fundamental issues faced by Nigerian university staff over the years, which has not only led to inefficiency, low morale, poverty of staff and incessant strike actions by labour unions, is the inability of university managements to provide robust and sustainable staff welfare packages, in spite of the knowledge and potentials that abound in the universities locally and internationally. This paper aims at providing workable insights, through the application of academic knowledge and other university potentials, which have the capacity to produce diverse material and food needs of university workers in order to improve their welfare, morale and productivity with high degree of sustainability. The paper relied on secondary data and utilized resource-based theory, including a model developed by the researcher for discussing main themes of the paper. The paper found among others, that universities in developing countries with emphasis on Nigeria, do not only have abundant human and natural resources, but are also custodians and creators of knowledge which has the capabilities to build, fabricate and engage farm implements in the production of agriculturally based goods as well as manage their natural resources, first, for the wellbeing of their staff and the society at large. Universities are therefore strongly admonished to engage in agricultural production of food and other material needs of workers by engaging the faculties of agriculture/agricultural engineering and entrepreneurship development centres to achieve this goal.